Election 2012: The Rear View

For those not familiar with the ins and outs of Queensland politics, but instead familiar with annoyingly naff bumper sticker trends, I think this is the best way to sum up the result of our March 24 state election:

Dan Beeston used his own stash of My Family stickers to mock this up.

Campbell Newman and the LNP romped it in, scoring more seats than James Bond at Ikea.

Everyone was expecting an emphatic LNP victory, except the nice hairdresser I went to on Friday evening after finally getting off the campaign bus.

"But surely anything could still happen?" she said.

"Universally, yes," I replied. "But the polling techniques they have these days are just too accurate. And just a little more off the bottom, please."

But nobody thought it would be so devastating for Labor, that you couldn't even use the word "decimation" in a grammatically correct way (while I'm not good with the maths, I'm pretty sure they lost more than one in ten MPs). Annihilation is more likely. Holocaust is probably going too far (it generally always is).

This morning I spoke with Dr Paul Williams, a political and media analyst from Griffith University. We chatted about the strange parliament Queensland will now have, including the challenges Mr Newman will have making sure all of his 77 or so MPs have plenty of work and stay out of trouble, and the risk a tiny opposition will not be able to adequately scrutinise legislation.

His killer line came at the very end of the interview, when we were discussing how long Labor will be in the electoral wilderness, cowering from wolves and subsisting on frozen Siberian tiger droppings:

"When people say that the next Labor premier isn't even in parliament yet... I might be cynical when I say this, but perhaps the next Labor premier hasn't even finished school."

DAMN.

In Queensland, once you're gone, you're gone for a LONG time. There were ten James Bond movies produced during the time Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Premier, before Queenslanders got a chance to enjoy 1989's Licence to Kill unencumbered by a sternly Lutheran but ethically flexible moral code.
It's likely we'll now see at least another four Bond movies (and at least one more Bond actor) before Labor can attempt to regain power.

It boggles the mind. I mean, can you even imagine someone not Daniel Craig as Bond?

Labor came close to losing the 2009 election; and frankly now probably wishes it had. It wouldn't have won this time around, but the destruction wouldn't have been so complete.

In the end, Anna Bligh's leadership during the floods and cyclones last year - while respected - came to nought. People had already drawn their plans against her. Asset sales seems to have been the biggest issue, followed closely by ongoing problems in Queensland Health. Campaign-wise, the ALP's been universally condemned for going in so hard on Mr Newman, his family and business interests. The mud stuck, but to the wrong side.

Labor has seemingly lost its base. At her concession speech in the ALP HQ in South Brisbane on Saturday night, there seemed to be no "True Believers" amongst the crowd. They were all twenty-somethings. Has the "working man/woman" had enough? Or was time in government a hump they just couldn't get over?

I'm interested in your take on the state election, and why you think the result unfolded the way it did. What do you think Labor needs to do now, given they've only got seven or eight MPs, a decreasing membership base, and a whole lotta wolves out there?

Dave, the Bligh Bus Driver

This is Dave, the Bligh bus driver. He's been hauling Anna Bligh, her media advisers and a pack of journalists around since early Wednesday. Thursday's trip actually turned into Friday's trip, with 18 hours of campaign in 19 seats finishing at 2am.

As the action wound down this afternoon, I thought I'd grab a quick chat with Dave about his perspective on the madness.

Speaking of madness, Bridie Jabour over at brisbanetimes.com.au has written a great piece about life on the campaign buses. I make an anonymous appearance - possibly relating to geography and travel distances. I wish I'd been able to keep up with the pace and write more detailed posts about the election trail. It turned out to be as busy as I expected, and then some. But after the final big push tomorrow, and before I collapse into a coma, I'll see what I can do...

On the Bus with Bligh

Day 33. I finally managed to launch a sneak attack on Anna Bligh after an intake of extra passengers on the Bligh Bus saw her plonk down in the seat beside me.

Sadly the interview got cut off by the appearance of a certain former Labor Prime Minister (what a bum), but it might be of interest to some of you.

As I post this, we've passed the 30-seat mark on the 50-Seats-In-Five-Days Last-Ditch Bligh Blitz Challenge. Today's trip is supposed to go through until 2am Friday. I'm still trying to weigh up whether I have the stamina, or at least enough Pepsi Max, to go all the way...

Young People in Politics

You know, I could say that the person who suggested this photo be taken will pay... but then she's behind in the opinion polls and there may be little point in adding insult to injury.

Magical Mystery Tour

The Queensland election campaign is officially underway, with the parliament dissolved today and the writs issued for a March 24 poll.

Tonight, I'm boarding a plane to be a part of the media contingent covering Anna Bligh, as she makes a bid for re-election. At some point, I'll do a swap, and spend time on Campbell Newman's tour, as he attempts the unprecedented move of becoming Premier from outside the parliament.

And the winner of the "Who Can Keep Their Mouth Open The Longest Competition" is...

It really is a magical mystery tour - all I know is where to show up, and to prepare for any eventuality clothing-wise. I've tried to fit seven days worth of clothes into an overnight case. Let's see how long the tidiness lasts!

I'm going to endeavour to update this site from the road, time and internet connections being equal. I'll also be tweeting; and I'm going to experiment with the new Brisbane-based social media network Kondoot. It allows you to livestream, so I'm going to see if I could do little campaign updates as I go along.

My priority of course is providing balanced, succinct and relevant coverage of the Battle of 2012 - but it's also the wider experience of campaign life that I'm looking forward to.

It's Murphy's Law that as I depart, ImproMafia is gearing back up again for an exciting 2012 season. Check out our beautiful new website, like us on Facebook, and come along to our fantastic performances.

Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. I will no doubt make mistakes and learn from them, but that, I suppose, is the challenge for a journalist as much as it is for a politician!

Anna Bligh's 2011

It's been a busy day.

Premier Anna Bligh confirmed Queenslanders will go the polls on March 24, but the official election campaign will only start on February 19.

The Forced Smile competition was declared a draw

I'm rather excited, as this election will be my first "on the road". This means I'll actually be heading out with the leaders on the campaign bus/plane/train/boat/scooter/segue/pack mule, to provide coverage in my role as Fairfax Radio state political reporter.

It's going to be exhausting and challenging and I hope I will do it justice.

One thing I want to incorporate into my campaign experience is regular writing. So to get started, I'm going to post this review of Anna Bligh's 2011. It was originally commissioned for another publication, but ultimately not used. Of course, it's all a bit out of date now the election timetable's been determined, but here it is anyway.